There is, I think, something ethereal about i —the square root of minus one. I remember first hearing about it at school. It seemed an odd beast at that time—an intruder hovering on the edge of reality.

Usually familiarity dulls this sense of the bizarre, but in the case of i it was the reverse: over the years the sense of its surreal nature intensified. It seemed that it was impossible to write mathematics that described the real world in …

I and i

The major increase in discharge duration and plasma energy in a next step DT fusion reactor will give rise to important plasma-material effects that will critically influence its operation, safety and performance. Erosion will increase to a scale of several centimetres from being barely measurable at a micron scale in today's tokamaks. Tritium co-deposited with carbon will strongly affect the operation of machines with carbon plasma facing components. Controlling plasma-wall interactions is critical to achieving high performance in present day tokamaks, and this is likely to continue to be the case in the approach to practical fusion reactors. Recognition of the important consequences of these phenomena stimulated an internationally co-ordinated effort in the field of plasma-surface interactions supporting the Engineering Design Activities of the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor project (ITER), and significant progress has been made in better understanding these issues. The paper reviews the underlying physical processes and the existing experimental database of plasma-material interactions both in tokamaks and laboratory simulation facilities for conditions of direct relevance to next step fusion reactors. Two main topical groups of interaction are considered: (i) erosion/redeposition from plasma sputtering and disruptions, including dust and flake generation and (ii) tritium retention and removal. The use of modelling tools to interpret the experimental results and make projections for conditions expected in future devices is explained. Outstanding technical issues and specific recommendations on potential R&D avenues for their resolution are presented.

/pdf/plasma-material-interactions-in-current-tokamaks-and-their-1a6iwv89x6.pdf

Plasma{material interactions in current tokamaks and their implications for next step fusion reactors

This review article aims to provide an updated and comprehensive description of the development of the Electric Current Activated/assisted Sintering technique (ECAS) for the obtainment of dense materials including nanostructured ones. The use of ECAS for pure sintering purposes, when starting from already synthesized powders promoters, and to obtain the desired material by simultaneously performing synthesis and consolidation in one-step is reviewed. Specifically, more than a thousand papers published on this subject during the past decades are taken into account. The experimental procedures, formation mechanisms, characteristics, and functionality of a wide spectrum of dense materials fabricated by ECAS are presented. The influence of the most important operating parameters (i.e. current intensity, temperature, processing time, etc.) on product characteristics and process dynamics is reviewed for a large family of materials including ceramics, intermetallics, metal–ceramic and ceramic–ceramic composites. In this review, systems where synthesis and densification stages occur simultaneously, i.e. a fully dense product is formed immediately after reaction completion, as well as those ones for which a satisfactory densification degree is reached only by maintaining the application of the electric current once the full reaction conversion is obtained, are identified. In addition, emphasis is given to the obtainment of nanostructured dense materials due to their rapid progress and wide applications. Specifically, the effect of mechanical activation by ball milling of starting powders on ECAS process dynamics and product characteristics (i.e. density and microstructure) is analysed. The emerging theme from the large majority of the reviewed investigations is the comparison of ECAS over conventional methods including pressureless sintering, hot pressing, and others. Theoretical analysis pertaining to such technique is also proposed following the last results obtained on this topic.

Consolidation/synthesis of materials by electric current activated/assisted sintering

http://liu.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2:303552/FULLTEXT01

The Mn+1AXn phases: Materials science and thin-film processing

The MAX phases are a group of layered ternary compounds with the general formula Mn+1AXn (M: early transition metal; A: group A element; X: C and/or N; n = 1–3), which combine some properties of metals, such as good electrical and thermal conductivity, machinability, low hardness, thermal shock resistance and damage tolerance, with those of ceramics, such as high elastic moduli, high temperature strength, and oxidation and corrosion resistance. The publication of papers on the MAX phases has shown an almost exponential increase in the past decade. The existence of further MAX phases has been reported or proposed. In addition to surveying this activity, the synthesis of MAX phases in the forms of bulk, films and powders is reviewed, together with their physical, mechanical and corrosion/oxidation properties. Recent research and development has revealed potential for the practical application of the MAX phases (particularly using the pressureless sintering and physical vapour deposition coating rout...

Progress in research and development on MAX phases: a family of layered ternary compounds

Flow accelerated corrosion generates not only pipe-wall thinning but also roughness on an inside wall. In some flow conditions, the increase in roughness can increase the mass transfer coefficient by up to 80%. It is then very important to have an evaluation tool to monitor and quantify the roughness of a pipe. This study aims to estimate the roughness by using ultrasonic attenuation. The advantage of using ultrasonic attenuation is that it utilizes the signals measured by existing ultrasonic probes, and does not require significant changes to the equipment. To evaluate the inner rough surface, this study compares ultrasonic attenuations on random and periodic rough surfaces. We used an ultrasonic broadband probe on specimens with random and periodic rough surfaces in experiments. The results indicate a significant difference between the attenuation values estimated on random and periodic roughness. In addition, attenuation of amplitude at specific frequencies also was observed. These specific frequencies implied having the potential to estimate the pitch of periodic flaws on the rough surface.

Comparison of random and periodic rough surfaces by ultrasonic attenuation and frequency distribution

We numerically study the anisotropic Turing patterns (TPs) of an activator-inhibitor system, focusing on anisotropic diffusion by using the Finsler geometry (FG) modeling technique. In the FG modeling prescription, the diffusion coefficients are dynamically generated to be direction dependent owing to an internal degree of freedom (IDOF) and its interaction with the activator and inhibitor under the presence of thermal fluctuations. In this sense, FG modeling contrasts sharply with the standard numerical technique, where direction-dependent diffusion coefficients are assumed in the reaction-diffusion (RD) equations of Turing. To find the solution of the RD equations, we use a hybrid numerical technique as a combination of the metropolis Monte Carlo method for IDOF updates and discrete RD equations for steady-state configurations of activator-inhibitor variables. We find that the newly introduced IDOF and its interaction are one possible origin of spontaneously emergent anisotropic patterns on living organisms such as zebra and fishes. Moreover, the IDOF makes TPs controllable by external conditions if the IDOF is identified with lipids on cells or cell mobility.

Numerical study of anisotropic diffusion in Turing patterns based on Finsler geometry modeling

Fatigue cracks and SCC (Stress Corrosion Cracking) on a back surface were detected, and the shape of cracks were evaluated using a surface wave generated by focusing angle beam ultrasound. Internal ultrasonic images showed a little shorter length than optical images. Cross section of the fatigue crack and internal distribution of complicated shaped SCC were estimated.

Evaluation of SCC distribution by means of focusing ultrasonic angle beam

Accurate magnetic material laws are necessary to understand and interpret electrical signals generated by Eddy Current Testing (ECT) non-destructive control technique. Taking into account simultaneously, both microscopic and macroscopic eddy currents, a numerical resolution is obtained which leads to the global magnetic behavior that can be compared to measured quantities. 2 or 3 dimensional (depending on the dimension of the test sample) finite differences space discretization is used for the resolution of the diffusion equation and dynamic hysteresis model simultaneously and is locally solved for the microscopic eddy currents (domain wall movements) consideration. Local cracks defects are considered in this model as a variation in the local electrical conductivity and magnetic permeability. The numerical implementation of the problem and experimental validations are shown in the article.

https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01563575/document

Space discretized ferromagnetic model for non-destructive eddy current testing

Fig. 1 shows the combustion chamber of liquid fuel rocket, which is made of Cu-Cr-Zr copper alloy. Liquid Oxygen (90 K) and liqu id Hydrogen (20 K) are used as the propellant of liquid fuel rocket. Inside of the combustion chamber is the ultra high temperature gas of about 3000 K. Cooling grooves are made in the wall of the combustion chamber and liqu id hydrogen flows in them for the coo ling. Due to the b ig thermal gradient, s mall cracks and material degradation may be happened in the wall of the combustion chamber. For the recycling and safety checking of the combustion chamber of rocket engine, it is necessary to develop nondestructive techniques to do the damage evaluation before and after using.

Tetsuya Uchimoto

Papers

Comparison of random and periodic rough surfaces by ultrasonic attenuation and frequency distribution

Numerical study of anisotropic diffusion in Turing patterns based on Finsler geometry modeling

Evaluation of SCC distribution by means of focusing ultrasonic angle beam

Space discretized ferromagnetic model for non-destructive eddy current testing

Nondestructive material reliability evaluation for Cu-alloy of combustion chamber